Pakistan-Russia joint military exercises end

ISLAMABAD, Nov 5 (Agencies): Pakistani and Russian troops have concluded their two-week joint anti-terrorism military exercises, the military said on Monday.

The exercise focused on counter terrorism training of the Special Operation Forces of Pakistan and Ground Forces of Russian Federation while exchanging mutual counter terrorism experiences, an army statement said.

Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the exercises at the National Counter Terrorism Center, at the town of Pabbi in Punjab province on the last day of the drills and appreciated the participating troops for their dedication, skill and professionalism.

He said on the occasion that the exercise is a great forum to reinforce existing relationship between the two militaries.

This was the 3rd exercise as part of Pak-Russia bilateral training cooperation since 2016, according to the army.

Russia and Pakistan have been holding the "Friendship" drills since 2016. In 2017, over 200 servicemen took part in the drills, which were held in the North Caucasus of Russia at an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level.

Meanwhile, South Korea and the United States on Monday resumed small-scale military training that was indefinitely suspended following an historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The combined marine drills were among "select" joint exercises that were indefinitely delayed in June, after Trump met with Kim in Singapore and pledged to halt "very provocative" and expensive joint military drills with Seoul.

But the Korean Marine Exchange Programme (KMEP), involving some 500 marines from the US and South Korea, will resume for two weeks from Monday in the South's southern city of Pohang, Seoul's defence ministry said.

"We have previously said we will conduct US-South Korea battalion-level or small-scale drills as planned," ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo told reporters.

Washington is Seoul's security ally and stations 28,500 troops in the South to protect it from its nuclear-armed neighbour.